Dr. Pius Tawo joins Governor Ayade’s Team

The Governor of Cross River, Prof. Ben Ayade, gave his administration a timely shot in the arm when he announced last week that he has appointed the redoubtable economist and politician, Dr. Pius Tabi Tawo as the new Chairman of Strategic Policy Advisory Council (SPAC). Dr. Tawo effectively steps into the shoes of Senator Gershom Bassey, the founding Chairman of that largely invisible, but hugely effective think-tank of Cross River governments.

Coming into the Council at this most difficult time in the nation’s narrative with dwindling revenues, insecurity and graduate unemployment, the grand ideas of Governor Ayade will naturally face the challenge of funding. This is where Dr. Tawo’s track record and experience will come into play. For while the stratagem to hold and dispense power is equally key, what is the most pressing will be the formulation of policies and strategies that will buoy a sinking economy in the throes of financial asphyxiation. The good news is that Dr. Tawo’s training and work history has more than prepared him for this top task.

Pius Tabi Tawo, economist, technocrat, private investor and philanthropist, was born on June 14th 1956 to Chief Benedict Tah Tawo of Boje, Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State and Mrs. Rebeca Aret Owan Tawo of Nsadop, also in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State.

Although he qualified with a B.Sc Economics, MBA Management and D.Sc in Political Economy from the University of Nigeria Nsukka, St. Clements University, Grand Turks and the Commonwealth University, Belize City, he has made clear value-added contributions to Nigeria that have not been limited to his area of academic knowledge. Thereby demonstrating rare capacity and justifying the fact that all components of knowledge are related and complementary.

As Chief Executive Office of Global Minerals Limited, between 1995 and 2005, he packaged the template for the development of Nigeria’s Solid Minerals Sector under the Nigerian Minerals Appraisal and Monetization Programme (NIMAMOP) in a programme which established over 400 mineral occurrences, identified over 33 minerals types in Nigeria and got Nigeria into serious conversation with the international mining investment community. This largely explains why he was appointed into the Vision 2010 and 20-20-20 subcommittees on Minerals and business support respectively and the Presidential Committee on Minerals in 2003.

As CEO of GML, he articulated a proprietary architecture in 2005 known as the National Geospatial Data Infrastructure Programme (NGDI) under the National Space Agency for the management of geospatial data for development planning. The proprietary quality of this contribution was officially communicated by the then Science and Technology Minister to Mr. President.

In 2009, Pius strongly made a written proposition to Mr. President Yaradua for the establishment of Sovereign Wealth Fund and this was officially acknowledged by President Yaradua’s Government who could not continue the engagement before his unfortunate demise. In the absence of any contrary information, Pius can rightly claim to be a key instigator (and even initiator) of the Sovereign Wealth Fund.

Even at a very young age of 24, Pius was a member of the CBN team to the 5th round of Nigeria- American Bilateral talks (1980). He was in the Federal Government Delegation to the Franco-Africa Summit in 1998 and the Ministerial team to the CRANZ MONTANA FORUM on the hydro carbon resources of the Gulf of Guinea. He was a member of the Business Support Group of the National Integrated Infrastructure Masterplan (2013).

Pius has had one of the most varied private sector experiences in this clime, and at very high levels. Apart from leading the already stated Nigerian Minerals Appraisal and Monetization Programme between 1995 to 2005, a programme that mobilized hundreds of Geoscientists across the country, Pius has collaborated directly with and partnered with some of the world’s leading companies like AIRBUS GROUP, ASTRIUM, RAYTHEOM, MBDA, DCNS and OBERTHUR. He also collaborated actively with TAAG-ANGOLAN AIRLINES, SFAIR of France, AMTEC and BEHRE DOLBEAR. This explains why his experience and interest span Oil, Minerals, Technology, Real Estate, Aviation, Banking and Defence.

Even when he aspired for political office, his outings where passionate, intense and ideas-driven as happened in 1991 when he ran for Cross River State Governorship under the SDP and 2003 when he ran for Senate under the ANPP. In both cases, he was evidently deprived, not by the people, but by undemocratic forces and lawless conspiracies

In 2014, he was a delegate at the National Conference and served in the Committee on the Economy where he made profound contributions, especially on the subject of development drivers and on sharpening Government’s role as an enabler in economic development and prosperity.

Pius has floated a foundation, the PTT Foundation since 2007 which is making rural interventions in community health, education and basic facilities. He also promoted a community NGO known as Boki Development Forum in 2013 which is concentrating on development advocacy for Boki Local Government Area.

He was elected unanimously by the chiefs, elders, elite and leaders of the Boki people in Cross River State in 1998 to be the Alternate Chairman of the Boki Union (Ochibe Boki), the supreme authority of the Boki people. This was a special recognition because he was to alternate the late Ambassador (Chief) Mathew T. Mbu, a first republic Minister and it was the second time in living memory that the Boki people would nominate or affirm anybody as their leader. He is a titled Chief in Boki where he is Otu Ikwe II of Beebo Bumaji and in Ikom where he is Ntol Edim of Ikom Local Government Area.

Pius was also honoured in the USA when he was only 28 as Honorary Citizen s of the City of Tulsa, Honorary life time Citizen of the state of Oklahoma and Honorary Life time Citizen of the State of Kansas.

With such a wealth of knowledge and dynamic experience, his choice as the Chairman of SPAC could not have been a difficult one.

[Dominic Kidzu is the Acting Chairman of Boki Development Forum]